Beijing: China defended its military action to expel an Australian warplane on Wednesday, asserting that the response is "legitimate, professional, and restrained." The incident occurred after the Australian military aircraft allegedly violated Chinese airspace over the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea.

According to Anadolu Agency, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Jiang Bin emphasized that such actions are "unacceptable anywhere." Jiang responded to a statement by the Australian Defense Ministry, which had claimed that a Chinese military jet conducted an 'unsafe and unprofessional interaction' with the Australian aircraft, by accusing Australia of attempting to shift blame to China.

Jiang stated, "Australia's statement is a blatant distortion of facts. It falsely accused China, attempting to cover up the vile act of its military aircraft illegally intruding into China's airspace. We are strongly dissatisfied with this and have lodged stern representations with the Australian side."

The incident raised concerns from Australia, which expressed on Monday its apprehension over what it called an "unsafe" and "unprofessional" interaction in the South China Sea. The alleged encounter involved a Chinese Su-35 fighter jet releasing flares near an Australian Air Force maritime patrol aircraft.

The Australian Defense Ministry reported that the incident took place on Sunday while a P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft was conducting a surveillance mission in the South China Sea.